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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. S. MAXIM.

REGOIL MECHANISM FOR GUNS.

No. 347,945. Patented Aug. 24, I886.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet H. s. MAXIM.

REGOIL 'MBcfiAmsM FOR GUNS.

No. 347,945. Patented Aug. 24, 1886.

R F I I I (No Bio deli) 4 5 sneta-snaet 4.

' H. S. MAXIM.

noon. MECHANISM run mms. No, 347,945. Patented. Aug. 24; 1886.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

' H. s. MAXIM. REGOIL MECHANISM FOR GUNS.

Patented Aug. 24, 1886-.

w ER

NKTE TATES ATENT Fi iCEt- RECOIL MECHANiSM FOR GUNS.

SPECIFICATION To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that i, Hum uS'rnv Iiiis MAXIM. iechauical engineer, a citizen of the United gljitcs of America, and resident of London, England, have invented new and nseiui l mphoxfgmenls in Automatic and other Guns, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs.

lilyinveution reiatcs to nutomatieand other guns wherein a handle, shoulderpicce, crutch, or similar device attached to the gun at the breech end thereoi'io facilitate the control of the gun the gunner in training or pointing and firing the some.

Mysnid inyeniion is designei'i to avoid or diminish the si eel; imparted to the gunner by the recoil of such guns, and thus enable him to work a com mratively heavy gun without in ury or inconvenience.

Six-ponndcr and other guns mounted on trunnions and supported in or upon suitable carriages or mountingshavein someinstauees been provided with a crutch or device, against which theguuncr can place his shoulder, and which '5 intilrnded to give him perfect control over the gun, so thzithe can readily pointund fire the same at it rapidlymoving object within short range. This crutch or device has heretofore been attached to the breech end of the barrel, 'iherei'orc, unless the carriage or mcuntii r is secured to very strong and rigid support ieii as the deck of an manor-plated ship imparted to the gunner by the rec i grout that the liringof such guns from 1c siouideris iinpraeticnble. A.ceordingtemycut-invention thcsaid shoulder piece or erineh, or its equivalent, instead of being attached to the barrel, is attached to in: outer frame support. which is mounted hymn tr unions carried in hearings in a suit or mounting. and which does not i the rcccil-thnt is to say, when id the said outer frame renmins e .lo the barrel and breech mechl: usually stat-ionic anion recoil within the said frame. s r-re. ,5:- the barrel and breech mechanism in an inner frame, which is fitted to slide to and fro in thesaid outer frame or support. 13etween the said outer frame and the inner "frame or be .veeu the said outer frame and the 'amctcr that it his the forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,945, dated August 2 51886. lipplicatiou fill'ii May 13, IBFG. Serial No. 3.02.56.

(No model.)

lnrrn ngc one or mounting and having my present improve ments applied thereto. l ig. 2 is a plan oi" the same, partly in horizontal section. Fig. I; is a plan, and Fig. 4 a side elevation, 01' another automatic gun with my present improvements applied ihereto. Fig. 3 :1.- side elevation of a gun and its mounting, show I means, here iuni'ter described, for i'aciliiati f the training or pointingof the gun. Fig. l; is a horizontal section showing a modification of my said invention.

A is the outer frame or support. A. A are the trunnions, which are formed thereon or rigidly attached thereto. '1? is the inner frame, which is lifted to slide to and fro in the said outer frame, and to which the barrel l! is iirmly secured. carries the breech mcelmnism, which nuiy be of any suitable construction. (3 is a shoulderpieee or crutch,which is lirmlynttachcd to the outer frame, A.

l) is 2 chamber formed in the rear end of the frame A, and containing glycorine or other suitable liquid. The interior of this chamber is slightly taperthat is to say, it. is rather larger at its rear end then at its forward end. a is n piston inserted therein, and oi such disumller part thereof. This piston has two rods, 0' n, which extend through and Wei]; in cup -lcz1lhers at the ends oi" said chamber. 'lhe pislon'rod u is screwed firmly into the rear end of the lllllCi,

frame, B. When the inner l'rame rrcoils, the liquid in the chamber l) is forced through the space between the piston and the sides oi the said elmmoer; but as this space is very small consii'lerablc resistance is offered to the recoil of the said inner frame, which resistance, by reason oi the taper t'orm oi the said chamber, din'iinishcsns the said frame moves backward. The shock produced by the recoil is thus greatly diminished. To further diminish such.

This inner i'rnme, moreover,

shock, volute springs E, which act asbuffers or cushions, are placed between the rear ends of the inner and outer frames. The springs E also serve to effect the return movement of the inner frame and pairts carried thereby. The cylinder or chamber l),and 'piston 11 assist in supporting the rear end of the inner frame, li, and in guiding'the said frame in its to-andfro movement. v

Any other suitable buffer or cushion may. with more or less advantage, be substituted for those above described for the purpose of diminishing the shock produced by the recoil.

In the gun shown in Figs. 3 and 4, Iemploy two dash-pots or hydraulic buffers, D, one at each side of the gun. I also employ a coiled spring, E, arranged within a casing or drum 1 fitted to rotate upon a pin or stud, b. One end of this spring is attached to the said drum .and the other end to the said pin or stud. A

chain, c, is wound around and attached at one end to the drum F. This chain is attached at its other end to the inner frame, B, so that when the latter 'rc'coils the spring will be wound up, thereby diminishing the shock prod-need by the recoil, and its reaction will causethe return movement of the said frame.

The employment of a shoulder-piece or crutch attached to a stationary outer frame or support, as above specified, is very important in my automatic guns when made of large size, more especially when the inner-frame recoils a considerable distance, because, by reason of the rapid changes in the position of the center of gravity of the gun relatively to the trunnions,it would be difficult withouta shoulderpiece or crutch to properly control the gun for the purpose of training or pointing and firing the same; but my improvements are not limited in their application to automatic guns, as they may be applied to any gun in which the barrel and breech mechanism can be arranged to recoil in anouter frame or support mounted upon trunnions. Moreover, this outer frame orsupport may consistsimply of a trunnion ring or box provided with one or more rearwardly extending arms, to which the shoulder-piece or crutch, or its equivalent is attached.

To provide more efficiently for facilitating the training or pointing of the gun, I sometimes employ a rack-and-pinion device arranged as shown in Fig. 5that is to say, a pinion, d,is fixed upon a shaft, 0, supported in bracketsf, firmly attached to the frame A. This pinion lS geared with a rack, g, pivoted at y to an arm, h, firmly attached to or formed integrally with the upper or swiveling part of the mounting. A stirrup or strap, i, is fittedupon the shalt e,to serve as a guide for the rack y, and to hold the same in gear with the pinion 11. A wheel, 0, is fixed on the shaft 0, whereby the pinion d can be rotated to elevate or depress the gun. This wheel serves as the shoulder-piece; but it is evident that a spectively,

much more efficient control of the gun is obtained than with the arrangements hereinbefore described. The wheel Ois sometimes arrangedto operate the pinion d through the medium of suitable gearing.

In Fig. 6 I have 'shown'a modification of my invention, wherein I employ two handles, 0, in place of the shoulder-piece or crutch hereinbefore described. -l is a piston or plunger, which is formed on or attached to the inner frame, B, and which is fitted to slide to and fro in a cylinder, at, formed on or attached to the outer frame, A. A spring, E, is placed within the said cylinder to diminish theshock produced by the recoil, and to effect the return movement of the inner frame and parts carried thereby. The said cylinder and piston assist in supporting the rear end of the inner frame, 13, and in guiding the said frame in its to-and-fro movement.

It is obvious that any other suitable device can be substituted for the shoulder-piece, wheel, or handles, above described, for enabling thegunner to properly control the movement of the gun in training or pointing and firing the same.

\Vhat I claim is-* 1. The combination, in a gun, of a frame or support mounted upon trunnions and provided with a shoulder-piece or its equivalent, a barrel and breech mechanism movable in said frame, and a buffer or device interposed between the barrel and the frame for diminishing the shock produced by the recoil, as here in set forth.

2. The combination, in a gun, of an outer frame or support mounted upon trunnions and provided with a shoulder-piece or its .equivalent, an inner frame adapted to slide to and fro in said outer frame, a barrel and breech mechanism carried by the inner frame, and a buffer or device, substantially as herein described, interposed between the two frames for diminishing the shock of the recoil, as set forth.

3. The combination of a frame or support mounted upon trunnions and provided "with a shoulder-piece or its equivalent, a barrel and breech mechanism adapted to move to and fro in said frame, and a dash-pot, the two parts or members of which are connected, respectively, to the frame and the movable barrel, whereby it is adapted to act as a buffer to diminish the shock of the recoil of the barrel, as set forth.

4. The combination of a frameor support mounted upon trunnions and provided with a shoulder-piece or its equivalent, a'barrel and breech mechanism adapted to move to and fro in said frame, a dash-pot, the two parts or members of which are connected, reto the frame and the movable barrel for taking up the recoil of the barrel, and a volnte spring or its equivalent interposed between the barrel and frame for restoring j the barrel to position after-recoil, as set forth. 5. The combination of the outer frame, A,

provided with the trunnions A A, and the shouldenpieee or its equivalent 0, the inner frame, B, movable in the frame A, the barrel and breech mechanism carried by the frame 5 B, the chamber other D, containing glyeerine or fluid. and contained in orconnect-vedwith the frame A, thepiston a, connect-ell to frmne P, spri n and working in the chamber 1), and the gs or thei requivnlent interposed between the two frames, as forth.

In testimony whereofI hax-ieheren tosigned my name in the presence-effwo Su bSei 'ibing and for the pnrppse set 10 

